General universal device interface for automatic test equipment for semiconductor testing

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a modular load board or “frame” that contains a number of moveable connectors. The moveable connectors can be selectively displaced within the frame, as needed, to mate with test head pogo-pins and can be fixed in place on the frame using screws. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide multiple moveable sockets that can be positioned as needed within the frame so that a quick prototype modular load board can be designed and readily modified, if need be, without requiring hard wired traces within the PCB to connect the DUT socket to the test head interface regions. Using ribbon cables, embodiments of the present disclosure eliminate the need to have any hard wired traces within a PCB load board between the DUT socket and pogo pin interface blocks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to patent application: “PRODUCTION-LEVELMODULARIZED LOAD BOARD PRODUCED USING A GENERAL UNIVERSAL DEVICEINTERFACE FOR AUTOMATIC TEST EQUIPMENT FOR SEMICONDUCTOR TESTING,”concurrently filed with this application, with U.S. Ser. No. 15/414,507which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) is commonly used within the field ofelectronic chip manufacturing for the purposes of testing electroniccomponents. ATE systems both reduce the amount of time spent on testingdevices to ensure that the device functions as designed and serve as adiagnostic tool to determine the presence of faulty components within agiven device before it reaches the consumer.

ATE systems can perform a number of test functions on a device undertest (DUT) through the use of test signals transmitted to and from theDUT. As depicted in prior art FIG. 1, conventional ATE systems are verycomplex electronic systems and generally include use of a load board,such as load board 100. Load board 100 is a highly specialized andcustomized printed circuit board (PCB). The load board 100 is designedto interface with a customer's DUT and interface with a test head (notpictured) of a production integrated circuit tester system for testingthe DUT. The DUT is generally secured to a socket within the physicallylarge PCB.

Load board 100 contains specialized traces within the PCB that lead tothe DUT I/O pins (to the socket) and to specialized pin interfaceregions of the PCB (e.g., pogo pin interface blocks 100 a) which containpads that make physical connections to interfaces of the test head viapogo pins located on the test head. In this fashion, the test head candirectly interface with the load board to test the DUT. The locations ofthese pogo pin interface blocks and their connections to the socket thathold the DUT are customized to the DUT and are complex. If there are anyerrors in either the placement of the pads, the arrangement of thesignal pins on the pads, or their connections to the sockets or thetraces between the socket and the pogo pin interface blocks, an entirelynew and corrected load board must be designed and manufactured, whichcan take several months. Moreover, due to the large trace routing of thePCB, corrected load boards can often be expensive to produce. Therefore,it is not convenient when load board errors are discovered and verycostly to correct.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a need exists for solution that can address the problemswith the approaches described above. Using the beneficial aspectsdescribed herein, without their respective limitations, embodiments ofthe present disclosure provide a novel solution to address theseproblems.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a modular load board or“frame” that contains a number of non-pogo pin interface connectors or“moveable connectors” capable of being repositioned around the frame viaa number of discrete frame mounting locations. The moveable connectorsinclude a pogo pin pad interface on the bottom for interfacing with thepogo pins on the test head and a slot on the top for interfacing with anedge connector (or discrete pin connector) of one side of a flexibleribbon or discrete cable. The other end of the ribbon or discrete cableis for interfacing with a slot connector (or discrete pin connectors) ofa daughter board which directly connects to the socket that holds theDUT. The socket that holds the DUT is also located on the daughterboard, which can be a PCB.

The moveable connectors can be readily displaced within the frame, asneeded, to mate with test head pogo-pins and can be fixed in place onthe frame using screws. With this modular design, embodiments of thepresent disclosure provide multiple moveable sockets that can bepositioned as needed within the frame and each moveable connector isthen mated with a flexible ribbon or discrete cable that is thenconnected to a connector on the daughter board (which can be mounted inthe center of the frame). In this fashion, the connector on the daughterboard directly mates to the DUT socket. As such, a rapidly produced andeasily modified prototype modular load board can be designed and readilymodified, if need be, without requiring hard wired traces within the PCBto connect the DUT socket to the test head interface regions. Usingcables, such as flexible ribbon or discrete cables, embodiments of thepresent disclosure eliminate the need to have any hard wired traceswithin a PCB load board between the DUT socket and pogo pin interfaceblocks. If a connection error is discovered, the cable can be easilymoved to the proper connection. Using moveable connectors that mate tothe ribbon cables and to the test head in the manner described hereinprovide added flexibility during testing sessions.

Once the combination of the daughter board and the load board frameyield a final design for testing, the load board frame can be replacedwith a specialized mother board PCB that has fixed interface pins forthe tester head, e.g., pogo-pin interfaces. In the mother board PCB, thetraces from the tester head interface pins can then be routed (traced)to connectors at fixed positions on the mother board PCB that physicallyalign with the physical interface connectors on the daughter board,whose locations are already known. The daughter board can then bephysically connected to the mother board PCB to yield a final modularload board that can be used for production-level testing.

More specifically, in one embodiment, the present invention isimplemented as an apparatus for testing a device under test (DUT). Theapparatus includes a frame that includes a DUT mounting location, inwhich the DUT mounting location is adapted to removeably mount aminiature test board configured to electrically and physically interfacewith the DUT during a testing session. The frame also includes aplurality of connector mounting locations operable to align with aplurality of interfaces of a test head, in which each connector mountinglocation is adapted to removeably mount a respective removable connectorfrom a plurality of removable connectors operable to be connected to theplurality of interfaces of the test head in which each removableconnector is coupled to a respective flexible cable of a plurality offlexible cables, in which the plurality of flexible cables are operableto connect, respectively, to a plurality of cable interfaces of theminiature test board, in which the DUT is configured to receive andtransmit test signals associated with the test head using the pluralityof flexible cables, the plurality of removable connectors and theplurality of cable interfaces.

In one embodiment, the frame includes a plurality of fastening holes, inwhich each connector mounting location of the plurality of connectormounting locations includes a set of fastening holes of the plurality offastening holes and is adapted to mount a respective removable connectorfrom the plurality of removable connectors using the set of fasteningholes.

In one embodiment, a respective removable connector of the plurality ofremovable connectors is removeably mounted onto a respective connectormounting location of the plurality of connector mounting locations usinga pair of fastening holes from the plurality of fastening holes. In oneembodiment, the frame further includes a plurality of fastening holeslocated along portions thereof surrounding the DUT mounting location tomount the miniature test board.

In one embodiment, the frame further includes a plurality of fasteningholes for aligning and mounting the frame to the test head. In oneembodiment, the DUT mounting location is positioned between theplurality of connector mounting locations. In one embodiment, the frameincludes a handle.

In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented as an apparatusfor testing a device under test (DUT). The apparatus includes a framethat includes a DUT mounting location adapted to removeably mount adaughter board configured to electrically and physically interface withsaid DUT during a testing session. The frame also includes a pluralityof connector mounting locations operable to align with a plurality ofinterfaces of a test head, in which each connector mounting location isadapted to removeably mount a respective removable connector from aplurality of removable connectors operable to be connected to theplurality of interfaces of said test head in which each removableconnector is coupled to a respective flexible cable of a plurality offlexible cables, in which the plurality of flexible cables are operableto connect, respectively, to a plurality of cable interfaces of thedaughter board, in which the DUT is configured to receive and transmittest signals associated with the test head using the plurality offlexible cables, the plurality of removable connectors and the pluralityof cable interfaces.

The frame also includes a first plurality of fastening holes disposed inthe plurality of connector mounting locations for removeably mountingthe plurality of removeable connectors. In one embodiment, the DUTmounting location is positioned between at least two connector mountinglocations of the plurality of connector mounting locations. In oneembodiment, each connector mounting location of the plurality ofconnector mounting locations is adapted to store different removableconnectors from said plurality of removable connectors using saidplurality of fastening holes.

In one embodiment, a respective removable connector of the plurality ofremovable connectors is mounted onto a respective connector mountinglocation of the plurality of connector mounting locations using arespective pair of fastening holes from the plurality of fasteningholes. In one embodiment, the frame further includes a second pluralityof fastening holes located along portions of the frame surrounding theDUT mounting location to mount the daughter board to the frame.

In one embodiment, the frame further includes a third plurality offastening holes for aligning and mounting the frame to the test head. Inone embodiment, the DUT mounting location includes a larger portion ofthe frame relative to a connector mounting location of the plurality ofconnector mounting locations and where the plurality of flexible cablesinclude ribbon cables.

In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented as an apparatusfor testing a device under test (DUT). The apparatus includes a framethat includes a first mounting location, in which the first mountinglocation is adapted to removeably mount a miniature test boardconfigured to electrically and physically interface with the DUT duringa testing session and where the miniature test board includes aplurality of cable interfaces. The frame also includes a plurality ofsecond mounting locations operable to align with a plurality ofinterfaces of a test head, in which each second mounting location isadapted to removeably mount a respective removable connector from aplurality of removable connectors operable to be connected to theplurality of interfaces of the test head in which each removableconnector is coupled to a respective ribbon cable of a plurality ofribbon cables, in which the plurality of ribbon cables are operable toconnect, respectively, to the plurality of cable interfaces of theminiature test board, in which the DUT is configured to receive andtransmit test signals associated with the test head using the pluralityof ribbon cables, the plurality of removable connectors and theplurality of cable interfaces.

In one embodiment, the frame further includes a plurality of fasteningholes, in which each second mounting location of the plurality of secondmounting locations is adapted to mount different removable connectorsfrom the plurality of removable connectors using the plurality offastening holes. In one embodiment, in which a respective removableconnector of the plurality of removable connectors is mounted onto arespective second mounting location of the plurality of second mountinglocations using a pair of fastening holes from the plurality offastening holes.

In one embodiment, the frame further includes a plurality of fasteningholes located along portions of the frame surrounding the first mountinglocation to mount the miniature test board to the frame. In oneembodiment, the frame includes a plurality of fastening holes foraligning and mounting the frame to the test head. In one embodiment, thefirst mounting location is positioned in a central location of theframe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification and in which like numerals depict like elements,illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is prior art depicting a conventional PCB-based load board usedfor interfacing to a test head for testing a DUT.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an exemplary universal device interfaceassembly in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is another perspective view of an exemplary universal deviceinterface assembly in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2C illustrates a testing configuration using an exemplary universaldevice interface assembly in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2D depicts a moveable connector coupling within an exemplaryuniversal device interface assembly used in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of an exemplary universal deviceinterface assembly in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is flow chart depicting a testing process using an exemplaryuniversal device interface assembly in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a modular load board design having multiple daughterboards produced using an exemplary universal device interface assemblyin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts a finalized daughter board produced using an exemplaryuniversal device interface assembly in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is another flow chart depicting a testing process using anexemplary universal device interface assembly in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. While described in conjunction with theseembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the disclosure isintended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which maybe included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined bythe appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed descriptionof the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure.However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownmethods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described indetail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict an exemplary universal device interface assembly(UDI) in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. UDIassembly 200 or load board generally includes frame 201, connectormounting locations 202, DUT mounting location 203 (see, e.g., FIG. 2B),and moveable connectors 204.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, frame 201 may bea modularized design load board used for prototyping a final load boarddesign. As illustrated in, for example, FIGS. 2A and 2B, frame 201 isgenerally rectangular in shape and can include one or more handles forfacilitating installation and/or uninstallation within a testingenvironment (see, e.g., handles 201 a in FIG. 2B). Frame 201 includes anumber of discrete connector mounting locations 202 for storing moveableconnectors 204. Moveable connectors 204 can be installed and/or removedfrom various different locations on frame 201 using the connectormounting locations 202.

Each connector mounting location of connector mounting locations 202includes an aperture (e.g., aperture 202 a) for storing a moveableconnector. The dimensions (e.g., height, width, depth) of each aperture202 a may be uniform among different connector mounting locations 202 ormay vary individually. In this fashion, the dimensions of apertures andgeneral positioning of connector mounting locations 202 within frame 201are sufficient to align moveable connectors 204 mounted or storedtherein with circuitry located adjacent to frame 201.

For example, with reference to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2C, UDIassembly 200 may be fixed in a position directly above test head 300during a testing session. During the testing session, tester 100 c maytransmit test signals to test head 300 through a cable such as cable 100e. In some configurations, test head 300 may store several test boards(not pictured) which can transmit signals corresponding to test signalsreceived from tester 100 c to electrical connections or circuitry, suchas pogo pins (not pictured) located along a top surface of test head300. These pogo-pins are then used to establish electrical connectionsor interfaces between test head 300 and UDI assembly 200 for testing.Thus, UDI assembly 200 is fixed in a position and aligned with thetested head 300 such that test signals are transmitted from the tester100 c to a DUT mounted within UDI assembly 200. In this fashion, UDIassembly 200 eliminates the need to have any hard wired traces within aPCB load board such as test board 100 (see Prior Art FIG. 1) between theDUT socket and the pogo pin interface blocks of test head 300. The loadboard 200 is aligned such that the connector locations align with theinterfaces of a test head.

FIG. 2D depicts a moveable connector coupling performed within auniversal device interface assembly in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2D, a moveable connectorfrom moveable connectors 204 generally includes a pogo-pin pad interface204 a formed on one side of a moveable connector body 204 c and a cableinterface 204 b (e.g., discrete pin or ribbon cable) formed on anotherside of the moveable connector body 204 c. Pogo-pin pad interface 204 aincludes a number of pogo-pins 204 e capable of transmitting signalsbetween a moveable connector and interface circuitry found on thesurface of test head 300.

Thus, when a moveable connector is mounted within a connector mountinglocation, the pogo-pin pad interface 204 a of a moveable connector isaligned within the frame 201 of UDI assembly 200 to send and receivesignals directly from a corresponding interface of the test head 300,which test head 300 is generally positioned directly beneath frame 201during a testing session. In this manner, pogo-pins 204 e can transmitand receive signals from moveable connectors 204 to electricalconnections or interfaces formed on test head 300. Thus, both thedimensions and positions of connector mounting locations 202 align thepogo-pin pad interfaces of mounted moveable connectors 204 to directlyinterface with test head 300.

With further reference to FIG. 2D, cable interface 204 b includes asurface that comprises a number of pins (not pictured), e.g., edgeconnector or discrete pins, capable of transmitting signals betweenmoveable connectors 204 and a flexible cable, such as ribbon cable 205.In this fashion, pins are arranged in a manner to physically mate withedge connectors 204 d formed on one end of ribbon cable 205. Thus, thedimensions and positions of connector mounting locations 202 can alignribbon cables connected to moveable connectors to directly interfacewith the circuitry located directly above or installed within frame 201.

For instance, edge connectors 204 d can transmit signals from moveableconnectors 204, while mounted within a connector mounting location, toelectrical connections formed on circuits installed or stored within DUTmounting location 203, such as miniature test board 206 (see, e.g., FIG.2A and FIG. 3). Thus, as depicted in FIG. 2C, while the pogo-pin padinterface of moveable connectors 204 is aligned to directly interfacewith test head 300 below frame 201, moveable connectors 204 uses ribboncable 205 to interface with miniature test board 206 positioned on ordirectly above frame 201, thereby allowing moveable connectors 204 tosimultaneously transmit and receive signals from a DUT, such as DUT 206a (see, e.g., FIG. 2A and FIG. 3), as well as test head 300.

With further reference to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and3, connector mounting locations can store a plurality of differentmoveable connectors in a parallel manner. In this fashion, each moveableconnector can be aligned with each other in a manner that maximizes thenumber of connectors that can be stored within a connector mountinglocation. For instance, with reference to the embodiment depicted inFIG. 2B, the storage of moveable connectors in this fashion allows foreach moveable connector to be assigned a slot within a connectormounting location. In some configurations, each slot within a connectormounting location can store a moveable connector.

Additionally, each connector mounting location includes a number offastening grooves or holes such that a moveable connector can besecurely but removably fastened to the connector mounting location. Withfurther reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3, fastening grooves or holes(e.g., fastening holes 202 b) are generally located along portions ofthe frame 201 that surround a connector mounting location aperture(e.g., aperture 202 a). In this fashion, each connector mountinglocation can securely store multiple moveable connectors. Moreover, asdepicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3, each slot within a connector mountinglocation can store a moveable connector using a pair of screws.

With reference to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2B, frame 201 alsoincludes at least one DUT mounting location 203 for storing a DUT boardwhich includes a DUT (e.g., DUT 206 a of FIG. 2A). According to oneembodiment, DUT mounting location 203 on frame 201 includes an aperture203 a with dimensions (e.g., height, width, depth) sufficient to storeminiaturized load boards (e.g., miniaturized test board 206 of FIG. 2A).For instance, the dimensions of DUT mounting location 203 is sufficientto store a miniature test board (e.g., daughterboard) that includes aDUT stored within a socket therein. In some embodiments, miniaturizedtest board 206 may have smaller dimensions relative to frame 201. TheDUT board comprises connectors for connecting to the flexible cablesthat are coupled to the moveable connectors.

As such, DUT mounting location 203 may occupy more space within frame201 relative to connector mounting locations 202. For instance, anaperture 203 a of DUT mounting location 203 may be larger than anaperture 202 a of a connector mounting location to accommodate thestorage of a miniature test board 206 therein. Additionally, DUTmounting location 203 includes a number of fastening grooves or holes203 b such that a DUT board can be securely fastened to DUT mountinglocation 203. Fastening grooves or holes 103 b are generally locatedalong portions of the frame 201 that surround a DUT mounting locationaperture 203 a. In this fashion, each DUT mounting location can securelystore a DUT board during a testing session. As depicted in FIG. 2B, DUTmounting location 203 is generally positioned in between connectormounting locations. In this fashion, a DUT mounting location can becentrally positioned relative to a number of different connectormounting locations 202, thereby allowing the DUT board to receiveresources from moveable connectors stored within different connectormounting locations 202.

It is appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited to the number of connector mounting locations and DUT mountinglocation depicted in the Figures of the present disclosure. As such,frame 201 may include more or less connector mounting locations and DUTmounting locations shown. In this fashion, DUT mounting locations may bepositioned in between connector mounting locations along a centralportion of frame 201.

FIG. 4 is flow chart of a testing process 400 using an exemplaryuniversal device interface assembly in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

At step 401, one side of the universal device interface assembly frameis mounted to and aligned with a test head. The universal deviceinterface is mounted in a manner such that the connector mountinglocations are in alignment with pogo pin interfaces located on thesurface of the test head.

At step 402, a miniature test board is mounted within a DUT mountinglocation of the universal device interface assembly frame. The miniaturetest board contains a socket for storing a DUT used for a testingsession.

At step 403, a moveable connector is selectively installed within aconnector mounting location within the universal device interfaceassembly frame. In this fashion, a pogo-pin pad interface of themoveable connector is aligned to interface (e.g., make an electricalconnection) with test head circuitry directly below through a connectormounting location aperture in a manner that allows the moveableconnector to send and receive signals from the test head during atesting session.

At step 404, one end of a flexible cable (e.g., ribbon cable) isconnected to the cable interface of the moveable connector and the otherend of the cable is connected to a slot or interface connector of theminiature test board in a manner that allows the moveable connector totest and receive signals from the DUT during a testing session. In thisway, the interface of the test head is connected to pins of the DUT.This process is then repeated, as necessary, for other discreteinterfaces of the test head.

At step 405, provided the universal device interface assembly frameyields a final design for testing that includes finalized positions forall moveable connectors installed within a connector mounting location,a new PCB (e.g., motherboard) can be produced based thereon that hasfixed interface pins for the test head, e.g., pogo-pin interfaces. Thefinalized PCB includes traces from the test head interface pin that canthen be routed (traced) to the positions where the moveable connectorswere fixed on the PCB.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the miniaturetest board 206 may be developed and tested by a user prior to beingimported into UDI assembly 200 for further testing purposes. In thisfashion, a designer may perform various tests and gather electricalcharacteristics and metrics on the miniature test board 206 (e.g.,benchmark tests) in a manner that provides the designer with anunderstanding about the general performance of a DUT installed withinminiature test board 206 in an environment that is separate from atesting environment involving the use of UDI assembly 200. In thisfashion, a user may use UDI assembly 200 to further calibrate theperformance of a DUT by performing further tests.

For example, with further reference to the embodiment depicted in FIG.3, electrical characteristics concerning ports 206 c (e.g., edgeconnectors) of miniature test board 206 configured to electricallyinterface with pin-socket connections 206 b adapted to receive a DUT maybe tested during a testing session prior to the use of UDI assembly 200.As such, a first determination may be made that a circuit configurationinvolving the miniature test board 206 and a DUT stored therein yieldeddesirable results because electrical connections positioned in fixedlocations within miniature test board 206 functioned in a satisfactorymanner.

As such, miniature test board 206 may then be subsequently imported andinstalled within DUT mounting location 203 of frame 201 for furthertesting.

Once miniature test board 206 is installed within frame 201, anotherdetermination may be made that the physical configuration of moveableconnectors 204 and miniature test board 206 yielded desirable testresults. For instance, during a testing session involving UDI assembly200, a tester may have been satisfied with the quality of signaltransmission (e.g., strength, signal throughput, etc.) betweenelectrical connections formed on miniature test board 206 and connectorsstored within connector mounting locations 204 on frame 201. As such,the final positions of the moveable connectors 204 and miniature testboard 206 in this configuration or “connection layout” can then be savedas a final design for fabricating a new load board (e.g., mother board,daughter board) for an end user.

For instance, according to one embodiment, a new PCB can be fabricatedto replace frame 201 based on the connection layout between miniaturetest board 206 and a test head. Tracing materials may be used to trace aroute from the final or permanent positions of the moveable connectors204 stored within connector mounting locations 202 to final or permanentpositions of connectors of miniature test board 206. According to oneembodiment, a new PCB can be fabricated based on permanent locatedconnectors for connecting to a test head By mapping routes in thisfashion, the number iterations required for circuit development can bedrastically reduced.

For purposes of testing, a tester may also rely on the validatedpositions of the moveable connectors 204 and miniature test board 206 totest aspects of a different circuit board design. For instance, thesevalidated positions may allow a tester to focus issues related torouting between a DUT and difference resources or electrical deviceslocated on the circuit board. In some scenarios, these validatedpositions of connectors may be saved and directly placed inproduction-ready devices. For example, for purposes of production, atester may bypass further prototyping and/or testing procedures andinstall the validated miniature test board 206 as a production-readycomponent in a computer system. Thus, the reliability of the validatedconnector positions may allow a tester to save time and resources thatwould otherwise be unnecessarily spent on testing procedures.

According to some embodiments, multiple daughter boards generatedthrough embodiments of the present disclosure can be connected to a samemotherboard PCB in order to test multiple DUTs at the same timedepending on available resources. For instance, FIG. 5 illustrates amodular load board design having a number of different daughter boards501 a, 501 b, and 501 c connected thereto and aligned in parallel witheach other. In this illustration, one daughter board is removed(daughter board 501 d in FIG. 6) to illustrate the physical connectionson the motherboard PCB 600, which is located underneath daughter boards501 a, 501 b, and 501 c. FIG. 6 illustrates daughter board 501 d, whichis a finalized modular load board capable of being used for productionlevel testing in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 6 depicts the physical connections on the motherboard PCB 600 thatwould mate with a daughter board produced by embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Thus, once the combination of the daughter board and the load boardframe (e.g., frame 201) yield a final design for testing, frame 201 canbe replaced with a specialized motherboard PCB that has fixed interfacepins for the test head, e.g., pogo pin interfaces. In the motherboardPCB, the traces from the tester head interface pin can then be routed(traced) to connectors at fixed positions on the motherboard PCB thatphysically align with the physical interface connectors on thedaughterboard, whose locations and electrical characteristics arealready known. Thus, daughter boards produced by embodiments of thepresent disclosure can then be physically connected to the motherboardPCB to yield a final modular load board that can be used for productiontesting.

FIG. 7 is flow chart of a testing process 700 using an exemplaryuniversal device interface assembly in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

At step 701, a miniature test board, including a DUT stored therein, isbenchmark tested in a lab by a user in a first testing session within atesting environment that does not include the UDI assembly. During thisfirst testing session, various tests are performed on the miniature testboard to gather metrics (e.g., benchmark tests, electricalcharacteristics, etc.) in a manner that provides the user with anunderstanding about the general performance of the DUT installed withinminiature test board in an environment that is separate from a testingenvironment involving the use of UDI assembly. Importantly, theminiature test board is characterized electrically while the DUT isinstalled therein.

At step 702, provided a determination is made that the miniature testboard and DUT stored therein yielded desirable results during the firsttesting session, the miniature test board is imported and installedwithin a DUT mounting location of a UDI assembly for testing during asecond testing session.

At step 703, a determination is made that the physical configuration ofthe circuits stored within the UDI assembly (e.g., moveable connectors,miniature test board) is satisfactory based on the quality of theperformance of electrical connections formed on the miniature test boardand moveable connectors stored within the frame of UDI assembly.

At step 704, the final positions of the moveable connectors andminiature test board in the configuration determined at step 703 aresaved as a final design for fabricating a new load board (e.g., motherboard, daughter board) for an end user. The new PCB is fabricated toreplace frame using tracing materials in the PCB to trace routes fromthe final positions of the moveable connectors stored within connectormounting locations to final positions of a DUT positioned within theminiature test board of the same configuration. The fully characterizeddaughter board can then be installed in the PCB version of the loadboard to complete the final load board design that is ready forproduction-level testing (see, e.g., FIG. 5).

While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments usingspecific block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each block diagramcomponent, flowchart step, operation, and/or component described and/orillustrated herein may be implemented, individually and/or collectively,using a wide range of hardware configurations. In addition, anydisclosure of components contained within other components should beconsidered as examples because many other architectures can beimplemented to achieve the same functionality.

The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/orillustrated herein are given by way of example only. For example, whilethe steps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussedin a particular order, these steps do not necessarily need to beperformed in the order illustrated or discussed. The various examplemethods described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more ofthe steps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps inaddition to those disclosed.

It should also be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as may be suited to theparticular use contemplated.

Embodiments according to the present disclosure are thus described.While the present disclosure has been described in particularembodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention should not beconstrued as limited by such embodiments, but rather construed accordingto the below claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for testing a device under test(DUT), said apparatus comprising: a frame comprising: a DUT mountinglocation, wherein said DUT mounting location is adapted to removeablymount a miniature test board configured to electrically and physicallyinterface with said DUT during a testing session; and a plurality ofconnector mounting locations operable to align with a plurality ofinterfaces of a test head, wherein each connector mounting location isadapted to removeably mount a respective removable connector from aplurality of removable connectors operable to be connected to saidplurality of interfaces of said test head wherein each removableconnector is coupled to a respective flexible cable of a plurality offlexible cables, wherein said plurality of flexible cables are operableto connect, respectively, to a plurality of cable interfaces of saidminiature test board, wherein said DUT is configured to receive andtransmit test signals associated with said test head using saidplurality of flexible cables, said plurality of removable connectors andsaid plurality of cable interfaces.
 2. The apparatus described in claim1, wherein said frame comprises a plurality of fastening holes, whereineach connector mounting location of said plurality of connector mountinglocations comprise a set of fastening holes of said plurality offastening holes and is adapted to mount a respective removable connectorfrom said plurality of removable connectors using said set of fasteningholes.
 3. The apparatus described in claim 2, wherein a respectiveremovable connector of said plurality of removable connectors isremoveably mounted onto a respective connector mounting location of saidplurality of connector mounting locations using a pair of fasteningholes from said plurality of fastening holes.
 4. The apparatus describedin claim 1, wherein said frame further comprises a plurality offastening holes located along portions thereof surrounding said DUTmounting location to mount said miniature test board.
 5. The apparatusdescribed in claim 1, wherein said frame further comprises a pluralityof fastening holes for aligning and mounting said frame to said testhead.
 6. The apparatus described in claim 1, wherein said DUT mountinglocation is positioned between said plurality of connector mountinglocations.
 7. The apparatus described in claim 1, wherein said framecomprises a handle.
 8. An apparatus for testing a device under test(DUT), said apparatus comprising: a frame comprising: a DUT mountinglocation adapted to removeably mount a daughter board configured toelectrically and physically interface with said DUT during a testingsession; a plurality of connector mounting locations operable to alignwith a plurality of interfaces of a test head, wherein each connectormounting location is adapted to removeably mount a respective removableconnector from a plurality of removable connectors operable to beconnected to said plurality of interfaces of said test head wherein eachremovable connector is coupled to a respective flexible cable of aplurality of flexible cables, wherein said plurality of flexible cablesare operable to connect, respectively, to a plurality of cableinterfaces of said daughter board, wherein said DUT is configured toreceive and transmit test signals associated with said test head usingsaid plurality of flexible cables, said plurality of removableconnectors and said plurality of cable interfaces; and a first pluralityof fastening holes disposed in said plurality of connector mountinglocations for removeably mounting said plurality of removeableconnectors.
 9. The apparatus described in claim 8, wherein said DUTmounting location is positioned between at least two connector mountinglocations of said plurality of connector mounting locations.
 10. Theapparatus described in claim 8, wherein each connector mounting locationof said plurality of connector mounting locations is adapted to storedifferent removable connectors from said plurality of removableconnectors using said plurality of fastening holes.
 11. The apparatusdescribed in claim 9, wherein a respective removable connector of saidplurality of removable connectors is mounted onto a respective connectormounting location of said plurality of connector mounting locationsusing a respective pair of fastening holes from said plurality offastening holes.
 12. The apparatus described in claim 8, wherein saidframe further comprises a second plurality of fastening holes locatedalong portions of said frame surrounding said DUT mounting location tomount said daughter board to said frame.
 13. The apparatus described inclaim 12, wherein said frame further comprises a third plurality offastening holes for aligning and mounting said frame to said test head.14. The apparatus described in claim 8, wherein said DUT mountinglocation comprises a larger portion of said frame relative to aconnector mounting location of said plurality of connector mountinglocations and wherein said plurality of flexible cables comprise ribboncables.
 15. An apparatus for testing a device under test (DUT), saidapparatus comprising: a frame comprising: a first mounting location,wherein said first mounting location is adapted to removeably mount aminiature test board configured to electrically and physically interfacewith said DUT during a testing session and wherein said miniature testboard comprises a plurality of cable interfaces; and a plurality ofsecond mounting locations operable to align with a plurality ofinterfaces of a test head, wherein each second mounting location isadapted to removeably mount a respective removable connector from aplurality of removable connectors operable to be connected to saidplurality of interfaces of said test head wherein each removableconnector is coupled to a respective ribbon cable of a plurality ofribbon cables, wherein said plurality of ribbon cables are operable toconnect, respectively, to said plurality of cable interfaces of saidminiature test board, wherein said DUT is configured to receive andtransmit test signals associated with said test head using saidplurality of ribbon cables, said plurality of removable connectors andsaid plurality of cable interfaces.
 16. The apparatus described in claim15, wherein said frame further comprises a plurality of fastening holes,wherein each second mounting location of said plurality of secondmounting locations is adapted to mount different removable connectorsfrom said plurality of removable connectors using said plurality offastening holes.
 17. The apparatus described in claim 16, wherein arespective removable connector of said plurality of removable connectorsis mounted onto a respective second mounting location of said pluralityof second mounting locations using a pair of fastening holes from saidplurality of fastening holes.
 18. The apparatus described in claim 15,wherein said frame further comprises a plurality of fastening holeslocated along portions of said frame surrounding said first mountinglocation to mount said miniature test board to said frame.
 19. Theapparatus described in claim 15, wherein said frame comprises aplurality of fastening holes for aligning and mounting said frame tosaid test head.
 20. The apparatus described in claim 15, wherein saidfirst mounting location is positioned in a central location of saidframe.